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Investigating the structure and composition of macromolecules using electrospray deposition coupled with scanning tunnelling microscopy
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Warr, Daniel (2018) Investigating the structure and composition of macromolecules using electrospray deposition coupled with scanning tunnelling microscopy. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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WRAP_Theses_Warr_2018.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (22Mb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3423249~S15
Abstract
Macromolecules are complex, large and often thermally labile molecules with a wide range of properties and potential applications. More specifically, conjugated polymers are a subset of macromolecules with interesting electronic properties which have been utilised in organic electronic devices and show several advantages over the more commonly used inorganic alternatives. Despite the importance of these molecules to a range of fields there has been very few publications which investigate the chemical composition, and local packing of conjugated polymer assemblies with the ultimate spatial resolution of ultra-high vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy. The reason for this is due to the incompatibility of current surface preparation techniques with conjugated polymers. In this thesis, we have used electrospray deposition in combination with scanning tunnelling microscopy in order to deposit intact conjugated polymers on atomically clean single crystal surfaces held under vacuum. Firstly, we have developed an instrument which is capable of depositing thermally labile or otherwise fragile molecules onto a sample held under high or ultra-high vacuum. Not only this, but the instrument is also capable of controlling the landing energy and mass composition of molecules within the beam. Further, by using a commercially available electrospray deposition system, we have investigated the monomer sequence, chain length and local packing of a number of conjugated polymer materials. We show that there are unexpected defects in both the monomer composition and chain length of these polymers. We also show that the local packing of a number of conjugated polymers with linear alkyl side chains can be directly visualised for the first time and directly compared to results obtained for 3D thin films of the same materials.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QD Chemistry | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Macromolecules, Polymers -- Composition, Scanning tunneling microscopy | ||||
Official Date: | September 2018 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | Department of Chemistry | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Costantini, Giovanni | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | 170 leaves : colour illustrations, charts | ||||
Language: | eng |
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